The Most Curious Case of a Date
by Mai Kurosaki
Summary: Five minutes into the blind date, Ichigo Kurosaki was absolutely certain that this wasn't going to work. Byakuya Kuchiki was... How should Ichigo put it nicely? Byakuya Kuchiki was probably the iceberg that had sunk the Titanic or the asteroid that had killed all the dinosaurs. And that was just Ichigo trying to be really nice. Fake-dating this guy was going to be a nightmare.
1. The Set-Up

A/N: Tite Kubo owns _Bleach_ and everything related to it. Taking into consideration how the manga had ended, I lost hope that these two might be cannon. But in my heart and mind, they'll always be.

 **I. The Set-Up**

Five minutes into this blind date and Ichigo Kurosaki was absolutely certain that this wasn't going to work.

Byakuya Kuchiki was...

How should Ichigo put it nicely?

Byakuya Kuchiki was probably the iceberg that had sunk the Titanic or the asteroid that had killed all the dinosaurs. And that was just Ichigo trying to be _really_ nice.

The chosen restaurant should have been a first clue to this clusterfuck, an exclusive five-star restaurant in the mid-town Karakura, whose waiter, upon seeing Ichigo, had offered him straight away a jacket, then had accompanied him to the reserved table with pure contempt written all over his face, contempt matched in kind by Ichigo's scowl. No one could take away from him the art of scowling – he had elevated this art to perfection. Luckily, he had decided earlier that evening to wear a black shirt and his really nice dark jeans, therefore he didn't feel so out of place, even with his borrowed jacket.

Despite being very exclusive, the restaurant had a friendly set-up and offered a sense of intimacy. The round tables covered by expensive starched table clothes (surely thousands upon thousand of Egyptian thread counts) were distributed perfectly in between the different arboreal plants that separated them and created the illusion that the customer was alone in a jungle of spices and greenery. There was even a nice miniature honest-to-God candlestick in the middle of the table. The only thing that would remind Ichigo of the fact that he was in over his head would be the goddamn menu, written in pretentious golden ink on black thick paper. Ichigo had rolled his eyes so much, he actually feared he might have sprained them.

And Ichigo would have swallowed the sense of inadequacy, he would have ignored the goddamn borrowed jacket that felt like a corset on his broad shoulders if it hadn't been for the man himself. When Byakuya Kuchiki had arrived at the table in all his icy glory and had decided to introduce himself, he had made Ichigo feel completely out of place with just one look. How could someone be a pretentious asshole and an icy bastard all at the same time was beyond even Ichigo's capabilities of imagination. And he met plenty of assholes throughout his life. His hair colour had made sure of it. Hell, he had met one of his best friends trying to save him from other pretentious assholes just like the one currently sitting in front of him.

The guy took a seat at the table with such a frosty demeanour that, in that span of ten seconds, entire worlds must have frozen under his look. Yeah, it was most definitely not a great start. After the introductions, they ordered their drinks (seriously, even a goddamn cocktail cost as much as a lunch at Ichigo's favourite corner restaurant), then proceeded to look at the menu for food, trying to ignore each other as much as they could.

So yeah, Ichigo knew for sure at this point that this was simply not going to work. He glanced subtly around him, trying to guess the quickest escape routes or maybe wishing for some superhero to come and save him. He even thought briefly to call Chad and maybe fake an emergency, hell, at this point he would be willing to call even Keigo, only to stop this dinner from happening.

Ichigo sighed heavily before he returned his attention to the menu in his hands on a useless quest to find something affordable to eat because he sure as hell wasn't going to order anything that might set the bill at the same heights as his weekly salary. He had had enough misou soup while at university, thank you very much, he wasn't going to sacrifice himself for a perfect stranger.

A few years ago, he had been through some really difficult moments and if that period had taught him something was not to waste time anymore with situations that made him uncomfortable or people that considered beneath them. As such, suddenly determined, he shut the menu, took a deep breath and stared at Byakuya, who raised one perfect eyebrow in response.

All right, Ichigo wasn't blind. The man was really attractive, in spite of all his arrogance and iciness. He was tall and, for a paper-pusher, quite well-built. His broad shoulders had a perfect ratio to the trimness of his waist, making him appear stronger than he probably was in reality. However, although Kuchiki was a perfectly handsome man, his a bit too thin lips and his strong jaw gave him an air of cruelty that Ichigo was sure it helped at his workplace. Nobody would dare to mess with this man. Kuchiki also kept his dark hair tied, but a few strands had escaped the confinement. This should have made Kuchiki look a bit more comfortable in his own skin but in his case, it just emphasised the careful way in which he kept his emotions away from his face.

He was a man tough to read and Ichigo didn't like that one bit. He didn't trust people like that. And although perhaps under normal circumstances, Ichigo would have been more than happy to go home with this guy at the end of the date, it certainly wasn't the case right now. There was no point in getting to know this guy, for Kuchiki sure as hell wasn't inclined to get to know Ichigo.

"Look, this isn't going to work," Ichigo said kind of matter-of-factly. Something flickered in Byakuya's crystal eyes, but it was gone before Ichigo could understand what it meant. It could as well be just a trick of the light.

They stared at each other for a moment too long, before Kuchiki closed the menu, but signalled the waiter to stay away from their table. He leaned forward, his dark blue jacket showcasing his shoulders in an almost obscene way, making Ichigo bite his lip hard. Goddamn pompous ridiculously handsome arrogant assholes!

"What do you suggest then?" Kuchiki asked and seriously, Ichigo was back at hating him in 0.2 seconds flat.

"I suggest we just tell Rukia that we had a nice dinner, but we decided that we aren't meant for each other."

"I agree with you, but I am not sure whether my sister would be appeased by such an explanation."

Ichigo lost whatever colour he had in his cheeks. "Rukia is your sister..." How could he have forgotten of such an important detail?

His stuttered affirmation deepened Kuchiki's frown, while Ichigo felt as if suddenly the air around him had decided to move in the adjacent room. Byakuya was Rukia's goddamn lovable nii-sama. Ichigo was utterly screwed. It wasn't even funny, it' was really _not_.

It was a universally acknowledged truth about Rukia Kuchiki in everyone's general consciousness (and he really meant _everyone_ – from the colleagues and teachers in their high school to their academic supervisor and ordinary strangers) that Rukia Kuchiki adored/ idolized/ considered her elder brother a role-model. _Nii-sama did this, nii-sama did that, nii-sama thought about this, he thought about that_. From their early stages of friendship across years of support, stubborn fights and undying loyalty, Ichigo had known one thing for certain: Rukia really loved nii-sama and she would most definitely _not_ like Ichigo rejecting her precious elder brother.

"Great!" Ichigo harrumphed and leaned back into his chair like a perfectly spoilt brat, and not as a twenty-six years old man. He might have pouted as well. "That's just fucking perfect. Now she's going to hate my guts just because I think her brother is an asshole."

"There is no necessity for coarse language, Kurosaki." Byakuya's grey eyes pinned him with disdain, making Ichigo feel just a little guilty for this. "Rukia will not take kindly to my behaviour either, and while I do not appreciate your tone of voice or the words you chose, I do think we need to find a solution to our current predicament."

"Which is?" He asked morosely when he noticed that Byakuya didn't carry on with his idea. Kuchiki remained silent for a few more precious seconds as if he took into consideration the fate of the entire world. Which you know, it was completely true.

Rukia had been insisting for the past couple of years that Ichigo should go out with her brother because they would make a perfect couple and _opposites attract, Ichigo, shut up_. After relentless bantering and constant pressure, in a fit of despair, Ichigo had accepted, hoping against hope that he would enjoy a night out with this guy. And wow, he had been wrong! However, Rukia had been so happy when he had finally said _yes_ , she had had such high hopes for this. She had even made flow-charts to show that any significant age difference could only benefit them. It didn't matter that Byakuya Kuchiki was thirty-four, that he was rich and studied at the finest universities. It didn't matter that Ichigo was eight years younger than him, that he had a mechanical engineering diploma and that at times, his family had made great efforts to make ends meet. In Rukia's romantic mind, this actually constituted a perfect basis for a healthy and long-term relationship.

And in spite of his pessimistic nature (he called it _realistic_ actually, but whatever), Ichigo Kurosaki had let her convince him. It had been the greatest mistake he had done recently.

"We find ourselves in a predicament, however, the most important thing at the moment is to try and cause as little disappointment to my sister as possible. And this is not going to be an easy feat," Kuchiki spoke, at last, leaning back in his chair. He would almost look at ease if it weren't for the tensed shoulders and his frown. "As such, because we are in need of a good plan, I suggest we order the food and start thinking of one. The whole expense will be covered by me."

"Yeah, I don't think that's fair," Ichigo said, a slight flush slowly rising on his cheeks. Fuck his fair complexion as well.

"Please, it is the least I could do. It is clear to me that Rukia wanted us to date, but this is not possible." Byakuya took the menu again and opened it. "Also, thinking with our stomachs full might actually help us in coming with a good plan."

Ichigo looked down at the menu, opened it and then stared uncomprehendingly at the golden letters.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier," he mumbled and though his tone was far from being apologetic, it was still better than nothing. Kuchiki acknowledged this with a simple nod. Ichigo didn't know whether to feel guiltier or more annoyed. Ultimately, he decided to ignore both feelings and see whether there was something edible in the menu while paying attention to the prices. Kuchiki would pay for the bill, but that didn't mean Ichigo shouldn't be considerate.

After the waiter took their order, they both succumbed to a particularly awkward silence. Ichigo hated those plants that separated the tables right now because at least he would have had something to look at. As such, he had to peer at the man opposite him, while Kuchiki seemed to contemplate ending his life for being sat at the same table with an uncultured swine such as Ichigo.

Seriously, what possessed Rukia to think that Byakuya and he would be good together? Like, did she drink too much sake at the time? They couldn't be more opposite: Ichigo was a mechanic, who loved to get dirty (yes, both ways). He enjoyed reading, playing the guitar, and sometimes, when he wasn't feeling social, liked to lock himself in the apartment and just read, be away from everybody. He liked comfortable clothes like jeans and t-shirts and hoodies. Also, mother nature and his own mother blessed him with a bright orange colour for his hair, so occasionally he also had a fight or two idiots, who would be inclined to think, that just because he was gay and because of his hair colour, he couldn't stand for himself. Big mistake.

And opposite him, there was the big shot financial consultant. Like could Byakuya have chosen a more ambiguous job? Like what did he do? What did he _consult_ about? His clothes looked more expensive than Ichigo's entire apartment, he had two expensive cars (information obtained from Rukia), a penthouse in downtown Karakura (also information happily provided by Rukia) and most likely he considered the quarterly financial reports as the greatest read ever. In fact, Byakuya Kuchiki was so out of Ichigo's league that he would find the whole affair funny if Kuchiki didn't prove to be a gigantic asshole.

Uhm, he would eat on the man's dime. Maybe Kuchiki was not _that_ much of an asshole, but still. It was clear to Ichigo that the man liked the fine things in life. Also, his looks and his pedigree must have made tons of men walking over themselves to try and get into Kuchiki's trousers. He probably never got dirty in his life (yes, again, both ways – Ichigo found himself to be extremely funny in his mind; the scowl on the outside prevented people from trying to see whether he had a sense of humour, apart from his friends. Inside though? Laughing riot.)

Plus, the man was so guarded. Ichigo had had his fair share of failed relationships and one catastrophic one, but he had always tried to maintain his heart open. Nothing like this could be said about Byakuya Kuchiki. Ichigo wondered why Rukia's brother had accepted a blind date with him. He must have suffered a brief moment of temporary insanity.

And just like that, Ichigo began to feel guilty. Yes, his first opinion of Kuchiki wasn't the greatest, but he didn't make any effort anyway. So at this point, because he was the first one to reject this whole idea, it was up to Ichigo to find a plan.

The inspiration struck as soon as the food arrived.

"I think we should date," he said as soon as the waiter ceased his fussing and left them alone at last. Kuchiki looked confused.

"I am sorry, but I believe that the whole purpose of this dinner is to find a way _not_ to date while at the same try and not break my sister's heart in the process."

"Yes, but here me out," Ichigo continued undeterred by Kuchiki's reluctance. "I think we should go to a few mock-dates, like three or four, to make Rukia believe we are trying. And then just let her down gently, explaining to her we tried to make an effort, but it didn't work. We were just too different. And yeah, she would be disappointed, but she would understand and she would leave us alone."

"And how do you know we are too different?" Byakuya asked. Ichigo froze with the chopsticks half-way towards his mouth. However, Kuchiki looked so much worse, as if he just divulged a great secret that no one was supposed to find out ever. "Never mind." Kuchiki's whole face was completely blank and Ichigo didn't dare to say anything and just let the man continue, "You are right. It is a good plan. Should we say four mock-dates? Two for each and we choose activities in turn that we enjoy. That would create verisimilitude to our story and Rukia would truly believe that we made an effort."

"Yes, it is a good idea," Ichigo agreed, before tasting his food. Suddenly, he had the feeling that he was missing something here, something big, but there was no way of asking Kuchiki what he meant before. Byakuya looked almost hurt by Ichigo's implication that they were too different to work out. But it had been true. Right?

They spent the rest of the dinner refining the details of their plan and exchanging phone numbers. When Rukia called later on to find out how the date had gone, he'd tried to be as truthful as possible: he told her he thought both of them were too different but that they were willing to give this a shot. Rukia replied that this was all she wanted from them then proceeded to squeal like that time when Renji proposed.

It was going to be a long month.


	2. The First Date

A/N: Tite Kubo owns _Bleach_ and everything related to it. Taking into consideration how the manga had ended, I lost hope that these two might be cannon. But in my heart and mind, they'll always be.

 **II. The First Date**

Ichigo watched the world go by behind the tainted windows of Kuchiki's car, which was driven by an actual chauffeur, go figure. He wished he would be with any of the people outside right now, as opposed to the man sitting next to him. The silence in the car was softened by the discreet radio, but it didn't sooth Ichigo's frail nerves much. He slouched a bit further in his seat and turned almost his whole body towards the door, ignoring the effects that this move might have on his pristine clothes. He had bought a new blue jacket and he was dressed in black slacks and white shirt. He even owned now a skinny tie. Why he had put such an effort for an asshole like Kuchiki was beyond him.

Just kill him now, please!

When he agreed to do this, he didn't expect Kuchiki to choose ballet for their first outing. _Ballet_. Who the fuck watched ballet nowadays? Pretentious bastards like the one sitting next to him, that was who. It wasn't a question of whether Ichigo hated cultural stuff. He'd been known to go to an art gallery or two, read more books that he could count (he did have a mini-library in his living room, thank you very much), even have the patience to listen to pretentious bullshit every now and then, pretending to understand everything when in reality, it left him utterly indifferent.

 _But_ he had to draw a line somewhere. And that fucking line was above ballet, classical music and opera. Yeah, thank all the deities for small mercies because if Byakuya had dragged him to opera, Ichigo would have hurled himself in the river that crossed Karakura and be done with it. He scowled at the said man next to him for good measure.

Seriously, this prick really didn't deserve his sacrifice. Or Rukia, for that matter.

When Kuchiki had called Ichigo to let him know that he arrived and he waited downstairs, Ichigo thought that he was going to try and do his best, make nice with the asshole and spend a relatively peaceful night, trying to avoid thinking of ways to off himself. However, Kuchiki just barely greeted him before going back to his paperwork and doing whatever financial consultants do (which Ichigo actually thought that it amounted to stealing money from the poor and giving it to the rich or making the rich richer – got the point?). Basically, he ignored Ichigo from the get go. Really, who could blame him if he were to jump from the car right about now?

 _No one_ , that's who.

He sulked in silence so much so that he barely noticed that they had arrived. When the car stopped, it was Ichigo's turn to ignore Byakuya and got off the car, before the driver could even try and open the door for him. Ichigo carded his fingers through his hair and sighed heavily, as he took in the building. What the hell was he doing here? He couldn't wait for the second date. He'd make sure he'd get his revenge on this asshole. Kuchiki got off the car with an indifferent air all around him and Ichigo felt himself blush in irritation. Where were the damn crinkles on the man? He refused to believe that anyone would be out of the car in such a perfect state as Kuchiki. The man must have done a deal with the devil or something, sold his soul for always looking perfect and make others (read Ichigo, because he was really important in this scheme of things) feel stupid.

He squared his shoulders and followed Byakuya into the building, refusing to so much as acknowledge the man. Their box seat was on the first floor and their short walk to it left Ichigo utterly confused.

They didn't speak. At all. What the hell was this guy's problem? Ichigo huffed again as he took a seat and looked at the luxurious hall displayed beneath him. They were in the box seat closest to the scene and he could admire the entire room, with its red drapes and beautiful chandeliers. It was slowly filling up with people of all ages, some of them discretely greeting Kuchiki, who greeted back in response. And Byakuya did possess the image of an important man, in his dark suit with his hair falling regally on his shoulders. His black tie was fixed on the shirt with a golden pin and Ichigo wondered if it was more expensive that his car. It probably was.

Had this been a real date, Ichigo would have thought that it was a very public affirmation of their budding relationship, a way of Kuchiki staking the claim over Ichigo. But the reality couldn't be more different than this, and for unknown reasons, that made Ichigo scowl even harder.

At that point, Ichigo didn't know what he hated the most: the fact that he was at the ballet (ballet! - it really was unbelievable for him), the fact that he was wearing a suit (if he could hang himself with the tie, he'd do it), or the fact that he stood next to Byakuya "Ice King" Kuchiki. The tightness of the shirt combined with the stiffness of the jacket made him want to just off himself, or possibly just come clean to Rukia, confess her brother was just a gigantic asshole and in spite of his good looks, Ichigo would rather poison himself than touch this guy. Hey, he knew he was a bit melodramatic but there was only so much arrogance he could take before going into a sudden rage fit.

"Could I at least ask you what ballet we are going to watch tonight?" Ichigo suddenly asked, unable to stand the silence any longer. Eyes grey and icy as an ocean during a storm turned to him and appraised his genuine interest in the answer to the question.

" _Romeo and Juliet_ , music by Sergey Prokofiev," came the bland reply at last.

"Seriously?" Ichigo rolled his eyes, obviously enough to make Kuchiki frown at him.

"I fail to understand your skepticism."

"Of course you do," Ichigo mumbled under his breath. Kuchiki pinned him to the seat with such an icy stare that Ichigo felt immediately compelled to defend himself, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that all humanity must enjoy this story. I personally think it is stupid and I much prefer Shakespeare's historical plays. Other than Mercutio, who seems the only one with a bit of brain in this play, I pretty much hate everything related to _Romeo and Juliet_."

"I didn't know you have such strong opinions about Shakespeare and his plays, particularly about this one," came the acidic reply and Ichigo was so done with everything by that point, he nearly hurled himself across the balcony.

"How could you possibly know since you much preferred to pay attention to your paperwork rather than talk to me?" He gritted his teeth because one more wise-ass remark from this guy and he was leaving, Rukia's disappointment be damned.

"Would you have rather I pay attention to you?" There was an almost smirk playing on Byakuya's thin lips and by God, but Ichigo wanted to bite them. Instead, he blushed heavily and scowled. Hard.

"I thought that in spite of this being a mock date, we'd try at least to be friendly enough to stop me from thinking about what would happen if I were to jump from this balcony." His confession was received with surprise by Kuchiki, spurring a moment of perfectly uncomfortable silence between the two of them. It was so awkward in fact that Ichigo was ready to blurt something – anything – when Byakuya finally said in a much more pleasant tone than the one he had used so far.

"I wouldn't recommend it. The fracture on your legs alone would restrict you to bed for several months."

"Yes, that's what I thought as well." Ichigo sat more comfortably in his chair, pleasantly surprised. "So do you really enjoy _Romeo and Juliet_ "?

"No, just like you, I enjoy more his historical plays than his tragedies." Ichigo smirked in victory, which only spurred Byakuya to go on, "However, the reason why I enjoy this particular ballet is that of the music. Prokofiev managed to create such an astonishing music that it leaves me breathless each time I listen to it. I promise you that after you hear the first piece, you will be enthralled."

Ichigo's heart skipped a beat or two or a dozen, though anatomically that was not possible. Seeing Kuchiki so animated and passionate about it was almost a miracle in itself. Although he didn't smile, his eyes warmed and his entire posture seemed much more relaxed than it had been at the beginning. It was possible things were just as difficult for Kuchiki to handle as they had been for Ichigo. But right now, his small speech made him even more attractive. Goddamn it!

Ichigo cleared his voice before asking almost shyly, "So what's your favourite historical play then?"

They spent the next fifteen minutes discussing Shakespeare's sense of history and their favourite lines, while the hall finally filled up and prepared itself for the beautiful show to follow. Although Kuchiki kept his distance and constant reserve, he appeared more animated by the intelligent conversation that they had and almost smiled at Ichigo when he confessed that he knew Richard's monologue by heart. Soon enough, the lights dimmed and the silence wrapped the entire hall like a magic veil, suppressing every sound and letting the curtain fall aside to reveal the scene.

And then the music. At first, it started as if the instruments couldn't decide to play together, in between their coordinated dissonance, the sound barely there. And suddenly a burst of powerful music, an incredibly beautiful and harmonious disparity between the violins and the horns, the most beautiful sound that Ichigo had heard in a while. It left him breathless as he didn't even notice the action on the scene, not that he would be interested anyway.

The music was glorious. It made Ichigo vibrate with such emotion as if he could almost imagine himself part of one of the families. It had the most compelling and fascinating change in between tones as well, fairy-tale-like sounds mixing with the harsh sounds of the horns, drums, and tubas. Such beautiful music was all the more complemented by the action on the scene.

"Do you like it?" Byakuya whispered into his ear, his lips almost touching the edge of his ear and Ichigo _wanted_. He swallowed before nodding. A small shiver crossed his body.

"Yes." Breathless. Compelled by the magic of the music and the presence of the man next to him, he turned to Byakuya and smiled almost beatifically, "It's truly astonishing like you said."

"I agree."

But as Ichigo took in Kuchiki's countenance, he was shocked into silence. There had been very few people in his life that had ever looked at him like that. There was hunger in Kuchiki's eyes, naked hunger. The effect was almost doubled by the control that this man had exuded so far. Ichigo's lips parted almost of his own accord because for a second there, with the magic of that astonishing music surrounding them and the intimacy of their closeness, Ichigo thought that he could have Kuchiki, opened and ready to take a leap of faith with him.

For a moment the thought was unbearably tempting, but even Ichigo had his own moments of weakness so he just returned his attention back to the scene and tried to put some distance between him and these new feelings. His annoyance and despair at going out with this man had disappeared and had been replaced by a new sense of discovery. In a better world, had Ichigo and Byakuya met under better circumstances, less awkward, less glaringly against them, the outcome of that blind date could have been completely opposite.

But it wasn't.

So Ichigo settled back into listening to the beautiful music, occasionally aware of what was happening on the scene and all this time, trying to ignore the fact that Byakuya Kuchiki was staring at him. The whole exchange had left him wrong-footed, just like that odd moment at the diner table when it seemed that Byakuya had wanted more from him. Ichigo pressed the heels of his palms into his thighs and took a deep breath through the nose when Byakuya's gaze went back to the scene.

Another thing that Ichigo had never been good at was lying to himself. And as he stared uncomprehendingly at the scene in front of him, he was ready to admit that he was maybe a bit, tiny, really microscopically, attracted to Kuchiki. And he would take that secret to the grave with him. No way he was giving the satisfaction to the asshole.

However, as the music ended and people began to leave, Ichigo seemed as if he couldn't find his footing. Distracted by the ballet and the music, he had been able to push his thoughts away, but now, as both of them got back to the car, Ichigo felt the compulsion to spend just a little bit more time with Byakuya. You know, just to convince himself that the guy was a bastard and that the iciness of his demeanour was terrible and connected to his very soul. But how he was going to do that was beyond him.

"Do you want to grab a drink?" The question came so out of the blue that Ichigo actually turned his whole body towards Kuchiki as if the man had read his mind and had been about to spew all his terrible secrets.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Ichigo replied then almost instantly wanted to slap his mouth. Why did he have to open his mouth? Couldn't he have just nodded in a resemblance of agreeing? Of course, it wasn't a good idea because Ichigo felt attracted to this man (seriously, microscopically) and he wasn't about to start something that he wouldn't be able to finish. Ugh, he was going to finish all right, a terrible voice whispered in his head, but Ichigo chose to ignore it because it was a terrible thought of his lizard brain.

"Why not?" Byakuya said, not impressed by the slight flush on Ichigo's cheeks. "Like you said, maybe if we begin to know each other just a little bit better, maybe these mock-dates will not be as terrible. For instance, I would have known that you hated ballet and I wouldn't have dragged you to it."

"Really?" Seeing Kuchiki's sudden frown, Ichigo hurried to add,"I think this might be a good idea actually, as long as you know, we're going to go somewhere where I can actually afford."

"Very well, I know just the place," Kuchiki replied and gave the driver an address, which took them a little bit further than downtown Karakura. The rest of the drive was spent in comfortable silence for once, Ichigo absolutely refusing to think about anything else.

The place where Byakuya decided to take them was actually quite interesting. Set on the banks of Karakura river, it welcomed its customers with an ambiance of refinement and comfort. It also provided quite a bit of intimacy with its low lights and paper walls beautifully painted. Ichigo took one look at the menu and decided that this might actually become his new favourite place. After they ordered the drinks and a plate of appetizers, they stared at each other in silence.

"So, this is not awkward at all," Ichigo mumbled.

"I know that you like Shakespeare's historical plays, you don't like ballet and when you are annoyed, you scowl at people," Byakuya said, apparently having decided to take the metaphorical bull by the horns and start the conversation.

"I actually scowl pretty much all the time," Ichigo stifled a laugh. "Because of my natural hair colour, which is the weirdest shade everyone must have been born with on this planet, I had a lot of trouble being taken seriously."

"I think your hair colour is astonishing," Kuchiki said gently and before Ichigo could reply, he slowly reached for the afore-mentioned locks. "May I?" He asked softly and all Ichigo could do was give a slight nod. Those long fingers just carded through his hair only twice, before their owner took them away. Ichigo couldn't suppress a slight shiver and shifted slightly further into Byakuya's space as if seeking more of that gentle touch.

"Your hair is like sunshine," Byakuya mumbled, chagrined as if he had not wanted to confess this, but the compulsion had been too great to resist. They both gazed at each other unable to decide what the next step should be – Ichigo to blush furiously and silently curse his too fair complexion, Byakuya to gaze away in mild embarrassment.

"Thank you," Ichigo grunted at last and thanked all the deities that he knew when their order was brought thus ending the most mortifying moment so far. And that said a lot about them. He hurried to grab his drink and gulped half of it before Kuchiki so much as looked at his glass.

"So what about you?" Ichigo said after a while. "I know that you like ballet, you love classical music and you like Shakespeare's historical plays. What else is there to know about Byakuya Kuchiki?"

"What would you like to find out?" Byakuya replied and for some reason he looked softer around the edges, a little astonished maybe at the fact that Ichigo actually wanted to find out something about him. Ugh, someone must have done quite a number on Kuchiki. It sure as hell wasn't easy to be rich and good-looking without having at least some leeches around.

"What's your guilty pleasure?" Ichigo asked while he began to demolish the plate of appetizers like no other. "I like to watch re-runs of reality shows while eating junk food. The unhealthier, the better. By the way, I have no clue why I'm telling you all this."

"First of all, I don't think there is such thing as guilty pleasure," Byakuya grumbled as he started to eat as well. "But if I were to admit to something, which I most definitely am not, I'd say watching Chappy cartoons on Saturday morning while I have cereals." His eyes crinkled in mirth as he took in Ichigo's slack-jawed face. "But I cannot confirm nor deny this ever happens in my house."

Ichigo burst out laughing because this guy was something else all right, "Wow, I really didn't see that one coming."

"Pot meet kettle," Byakuya said as his lips twitched slightly in response. He was clearly amused by the whole situation.

But seeing him unrestrained like this, for once shoulders slightly less of a tense line, almost smiling, made something tighten inside Ichigo's chest. And the alcohol in his system only gave him more courage to voice his thoughts, "I am sorry for how I behaved last week. I was out of line." His apology stunned Kuchiki into silence, Ichigo would have remarked that this might not happen quite often.

"I was out of line as well and I didn't make things easier," Kuchiki recovered. He set his glass down and added as an afterthought, "I am sure that Rukia didn't mention that I am not exactly the easiest person to get along with. In fact, I am most certain that my sister might have lead you astray with a more than rosy version of myself."

"Neither am I, Byakuya," Ichigo replied as the honesty of the man in front of him spurred something warm settled in his belly. "And so far it doesn't seem like Rukia led me astray."

Hahaha, microscopical, his ass. Ichigo blushed furiously upon registering the words he said. Seriously, what the hell was he thinking? They were flirting. Hell, _Ichigo_ was flirting. This was such a bad idea! Bad, bad, bad Ichigo!

Seemingly reading his mind and probably sensing his panic, Byakuya said abruptly, "Did you know about that time when Rukia was obsessed with everything Chappy?"

"No, was there ever such a time?" Ichigo laughed happily.

"I might have pictures," Byakuya said triumphantly.

"Oh, now this I got to hear and see."

The rest of the evening was spent telling tales about Rukia and sharing memories about her with little snippets from their own childhood. They had to actually be kicked out of the local as they forgot about the time so immersed into each other. Byakuya dropped him home, looking soft and relaxed, his jacket off and his tie loose. Ichigo's heart tightened and he had to squeeze his hands into fists so as not to pass his fingers through the man's hair. He could bite and kiss those thin lips, he could have this man at least for this month.

But as Byakuya just smiled at him and said goodbye, Ichigo realized hat he was in graver danger than he thought. Because he was about to forget about the _mock_ part in their mock-dates and take this seriously. And that pose a greater threat to his heart than anything else.

* * *

A/N: If you want, search on youtube Sergey Prokofiev _Montagues and Capulets_. I promise you won't regret it.

Thank you for your enthusiasm for this story – as always, you guys are really awesome with the love and the reviews. I really appreciate it. I promise this story will be far more light-hearted than my other stories. I needed something funny after all the angst in _The War in Us_. Most likely, I will update the story once a week.


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